The Ties That Bind
by AyatLush2046
Summary: Arbanyu. What was supposed to be a one-time purge of Force-sensitive individuals has escalated into decades of genocide. Desperate for help, An'wei Nelcoren travels to the Jedi Temple to seek the Council's help. What she doesn't expect is the Jedi Master they assign to the case, or his young Padawan. WARNING: This is an AU! Cannon's personalities and histories have been changed.
1. Prologue--Arbanyu

**Author's Note:** Hi all! This is my first Star Wars fanfic in a while, so forgive the rough spots, which are bound to be many. I'd love contsructive critisism and tips to make the cannon characters believable, even though this is an AU.

Oh, and George Lucas owns all except my planet and origional characters!

"Are you sure you want to do this, milady?"

It took all of Ivra's will not to snarl back a retort. Of course she didn't. What mother would? Clutching the bundle of blankets to her chest, she shrugged her rain coat even more tightly around her. The mist was steady, but she didn't want to risk anything happening to her son.

"Milady?"

"Do I have a choice, Garel?" She growled, then released a heavy sigh. It wasn't her bodyguard's fault, though she longed for someone to blame besides herself. "If he stays here, he'll die for sure. This is the only way he'll survive long enough to make a difference."

Garel made no effort to disguise his doubt. A frown creased his pale brow. "Do you really think he'll come back? It'll take decades for him to be ready. With the teachings of the Temple, he might not want to."

Ivra peered up at the sky, searching for the ship that would take him away. Her heart twisted at the thought. There would always be a risk. The earth rumbled beneath her feet, tremors of the destruction a dozen miles away. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. No, the Jedi was right. If her son had any chance of surviving, it would be at the Temple on Coruscant. "Maybe not, but if the coup's plans go through, by the time he's grown, the Council will have to take notice. They'll send him because he's from here. The Jedi promised that much."

"You'll forgive me if I won't believe in his promises until he follows through," Garel muttered. His helmeted head jerked upwards. "Got a Jedi starfighter on my HUD, milady. At least he's on time."

It wasn't the cold that made Ivra quiver as the ship's lights turned the private landing pad as bright as day. What she was doing went against everything she'd been taught as well as a mother's instinct. Some part of her that was still a young girl and terrified tried to urge her to run away. Keep her son, her first, hard-won son, with her as long as possible. She'd wished for too long to have a child to send him away three days after bringing him into the world.

_"The Force is strong in your son, Ivra. He needs to be trained as a Jedi. Do you think the Governor will ignore him simply because of who his father is? Right now, the Temple is the safest place for him."_

Wincing as the Jedi's words came back to haunt her, Ivra forced her doubts and personal feelings aside. No, the planet would be the worst place for her son to grow up. Always hunted for who he wasn't not for who he was. He needed to leave Arbanyu. Now.

"Lady Ivra?" The silhouette of the Jedi appeared in the brightness of the lights, long robes billowing in the wind. It was impossible to make out any details in the contrast, but his silver head and beard were unmistakable.

Taking a deep breath, Ivra stepped out from beneath the temporary shelter of the tree. "I'm here Master Jedi. Just like you knew I would be." She crossed the distance in just a few strides, cradling her son to her chest. "You're right, as usual."

The Jedi turned and some of his ebony face became visible. A grim smile tightened his features. "Believe me, at times I wish I wasn't. At first I was sure you didn't make it out of the city. The Governor's soldiers had nearly every street burning."

"Then I guess I'll have to build a new one." Ivra tried to resurect some of her sense of humor, but faild miserably. A knot of tears choked off her words for a while. "You will watch after him, won't you? See that he becomes apprentice to a good Jedi?" Oh, how she sounded like a lost little girl! Would she never be able to control her voice?

"Of course," the Jedi murmured, his deep bass voice softening. A large hand rested on her shoulder and squeezed. "I intend on taking him as my own Padawan, as a matter of fact. It's the least I can do."

Her heart gave a little leap of joy. "Really? Doesn't the Council assign Padawans?"

"Sometimes, but it isn't uncommon for a Jedi to request a certain one. The pairing would still need the Council's approval, but it's rarely been denied. Don't worry, Ivra. I shall treat him like a son." Strong arms reached out to her.

Slowly, with each inch feeling like a hundred miles, Ivra surrendered her son into the Jedi's arms. The instant he left her touch, the baby wailed loud enough that Garel swore and glanced at the woods nervously. Ivra suppressed her own cry of agony and reached over, parting the blankets just a fraction. Two eyes of an intense silver-grey peered up at her, mirror immages of her own. The blankets prevented him from reaching for her, but Ivra could see the longing in his eyes. He wanted to touch her as much as she wanted to touch him. Before she could give into temptation, she planted a tender kiss on her son's head, slipping a river stone inside. It was all she could give him to remind him of home.

"Milady? I have several marks closing fast from the city," Garel warned, bringing his rifle out of its shoulder holster. "If we're headed for the caves we need to leave now."

Ivra nodded and backed away. "Go, Master Jedi, before I change my mind," she choked out, no longer sure if the streaks on her face were rain-drops or tears.

The Jedi nodded and began to ascend the ramp into the ship. He paused halfway up and turned. "When we spoke, you weren't sure if you wanted to name the boy. Have you decided?"

That, at least, brought a genuine smile to her face, though it was bittersweet. It was the last thing she could give her son to make him hers.

"His name is Qui-Gon, Master Jedi. Qui-Gon Jinn."


	2. Chapter 1--Coruscant and Dex's Diner

**Yay! Next part in less than a day! And please, PLEASE review! I want to know how I'm doing so I can make corrections as I go. :D **

**And George Lucas owns everything/everyone except my planet and origional characters. Yes, I also made a Jude Watson reference with the river stone in the prologue. **

CHAPTER ONE

"Can I help you?" The Jedi who appeared on the screen was less than welcoming.

An'wei sighed and leaned against the side of the terminal. Its sides kept almost all of the noise out, making her sigh quite audible. "As I told the three other Jedi before you, I need to speak to a Jedi Master that came to my planet fourty years ago. No, I don't know his name, but he was human and his robes were made of nicer materiel than what I'd expect a Jedi to wear." It took a lot of effort to keep her tone coridal and honest enough to be believed. A headache was forming right between her eyes. Too deep for any ammount of massaging to ease. "And if you say you can't help me, then I'm hanging up 'cause I'm burning through my ration credits."

Unlike the last Jedi, the Twi'lek smiled with no small ammount of patronization. "Miss..."

"Nelcoren."

"Miss Nelcoren, we have been searching the archives for any record of a visit to your planet ever since you first contacted us. Unfortunately that mission has been marked for Council eyes only and is unavailable for public access."

Swearing vehemetly in Hutese, An'wei kicked the ground hard with her booted foot. Of course. Her mother had mentioned the Jedi was a Master, but An'wei had thought that it was only a prefix, not an actual rank of the Jedi Order. It made a frustrating kind of sense, but made her search all the more difficult. "Okay, can I at least get the name of the Jedi? I was told he'd recognize me and the name of my planet if I spoke to him."

"Again, Miss Nelcoren, the file cannot be accessed by anyone outside the order. This includes the names of the Jedi involved. I'm sorry."

_She's lying_. An'wei didn't know how she knew that, but every instinct she had was telling her not to believe the Jedi. A frown pinched the space between stormy grey eyes. She leaned closer to the screen. "Look, I came across this blasted galaxy to look for help. Whether you know who the Jedi is or not, at least tell him that Ivra Nelcoren sent me. That should get his attention. I'll be waiting for him at _Dex's Diner_ until dark." Without another word, she ended the communication, grabbed her change, and melded back into the foot traffic.

In spite of the Jedi's evasiveness, An'wei didn't have to wait too long for someone to be sent. Ensconsed in a corner booth facing the enterance, An'wei had to struggle against her anger. A Padawan? All they could send was a Padawan? Granted, he was human and so appeared to be around her age, but the braid was like a slap in her face. Did she really sound so pathetic?

Her emotions had to be projecting louder than she thought because the Padawan's intense brown eyes pierced the crowd to focus exclusively on her. As he waded through the sea of customers, An'wei was able to get a feel for him. Young and idealistic, of course, but he seemed to be a little unorthodox with his use of the Force. Smart, too, but that didn't make up for the lack of a Jedi Master.

"I said I wanted a Jedi Master," she growled when the Padawan was in ear shot. A hand drifted down to the cruved hilt of her vibro sword. Not a true match for a lightsaber, but useful enough to give her a chance to escape if need be. "Unless the news and reference libraries have been lying to me, you're not even close. Where's the real Jedi?"

Frustration crossed the Padawan's face before training smoothed it out. Definately impulsive and idealistic. "He's on his way. I've been asked to tell you that the Jedi Master you were looking for is Jedi Master Dooku, a member of the Council." He took a seat opposite her with the ease of self-confidence. This close, his face still held the boyishness of a teenager and the short haircut didn't help improve the immage.

An'wei's heart gave a leap and she sat up straighter. A name! Finally she had a name! "Great. So where's this Dooku? I really hope that he's the one on his way or you'll be heading back to the Temple with a broken nose."

The Padawan raised an eyebrow and a smirk crossed his face. "I'd like to see you try." There was no mistaking the laughter behind his words. Too quickly his face became serious again. "Master Dooku is currently on a sensitive mission and can't be recalled."

"Can't be recalled?" An'wei sputtered, gripping her sword even tighter.

"Relax, my master was communicating with Master Dooku when he sent me here. I'm sure that anything that needs to be said will be."

Running both hands through her thick brown locks, An'wei struggled not to scream in frustration. Was the Force determined to keep her from finding any help? Calm, she must be calm. Her mother's advice echoed through her mind like a sharp reprimand. Inhaling slowly, she pulled parts of herself away from the chaotic atmosphere of the diner and back into her Core. She quieted her mind like the lake she'd swam in every day since childhood. Soon all she could feel was herself and the Padawan in front of her.

A Padawan who made no attempt to hide his shock. "What planet are you from? How could the Order have missed you?"

An'wei merely smilled and leaned back. "I guess you'll just have to wait until your master's here to find out."

Inside she wanted to scream.


End file.
